SC notice to SAD president on a plea by former judge

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Minister and party leader Bikramjit Majithia on a plea by a retired judge Justice Ranjit Singh for seeking penal action against the politicians for making a statement against the commission that he headed to inquire into sacrilege cases over there.

A bench of Justices Rohinton F Nariman and S Ravindra Bhat sought a response from Badal and his brother-in-law Majithia on the criminal appeal filed against the Punjab and Haryana HC judgement of November 2019, dismissing the complaint by Singh.

Singh was represented by senior advocate K V Vishwanathan.

Singh had complained both Badal junior and Majithia had brought disrepute to the Commission with their statements which were punishable up to maximum prison term of six months or fine or both under Section 10-A of the Commission of Inquiry Act.

The high court, however, had dismissed his plea, saying it was not maintainable at this stage.

The Ranjit Singh panel was set up on April 14, 2017, by the Congress government to probe the incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib — the holy book of Sikhs — and the killing of two Sikh youths protesting against the sacrilege in 2015 by police.

Justice Singh had complained that the two leaders termed his report as a “pile of waste paper” and referred to the judge as ‘injustice’ Ranjit Singh. Sukhbir had even accused the former judge of acting in a ‘malicious manner’ and indulging into ‘cheating and forgery’.